The recent concerns over COVID-19 in meat packing facilities and the limits on meat purchases at grocery stores have sent people in search of a local supply.
When the pandemic started Mark Bearce, owner of Milwaukee based Kettle Range Meats said customers started panic buying, then more people were at home cooking and that kept his employees busy. But more recently business is up for a different reason.
“Lately with all of the news about meat shortages we’ve had a lot of people calling asking us if we are going to be facing any shortages. I think a lot of the extra commerce is due to that” says Bearce.
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Kettle Range Meats gets a majority of their beef, lamb, pork and chicken from farms in Wisconsin. Bearce says “it’s a supply chain that a lot less brittle than the national or international food chain.” He doesn’t expect any shortages because of this.
Bearce says customers are also in search of a local product, one where they know where themeat comes from and who it is handled by. Customers say supporting local and the knowledge their food is clean brings them to Kettle Range. “It’s a really great product and you pay a little more, but its food that has been taken care of and harvested properly” says customer Charisse Huston.
For the first time Kettle Range offers delivery. Store employees will also bring online or phone orders directly to customers cars. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, inside the store they are limiting the number of customers at one time, offering hand sanitizer, and employees wear masks.
Kettle Range meats is located on State Street in Milwaukee, and they have a second location in Elm Grove.